Akeem Beazer, one of two Dover airmen who have pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a runaway 15-year-old girl, will spend two and a half years in prison.

Beazer, 21 of Pompano Beach, Florida, was sentenced in Wilmington by U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Sleet on Wednesday. Beazer pleaded guilty to sex abuse of a minor in October.

Prosecutors said he and another airman, 25-year-old Dalian Washington of Philadelphia, kept the girl on Dover Air Force Base to have sex and continued to have sex with her once they learned her age. Prosecutors also said they knew she was pregnant and that she was the victim of prostitution. Beazer goes by the nickname "Woody."

"I was taken advantage of by Woody," his victim, now 17, wrote in a letter read to the court Wednesday. "I thought he loved me, but it was a joke."

Beazer was 20 when he committed the crime. Court documents state he was with Washington when he first met the victim in September 2016. She had run away from her abusive home, and they picked her up, crying and bruised, from an area grocery store.

They returned to base and ultimately both men had sex with her, according to court records. Beazer learned her true age after the first time they had sex, but continued his abuse, prosecutors said.

The girl, who was "essentially homeless," stayed at the base barracks on and off for a period of months, prosecutors said. Beazer also had sex with her off base, court records state.

During his sentencing hearing, Beazer told the judge "the whole relationship" he had with her was "to try to help her out of this situation."

He told the judge he regretted continuing to have sex with her and not calling the police once he learned she was in the grip of a violent pimp.

"I made mistakes," said Beazer, who had no criminal record prior to this arrest. "I didn't want to bring her to the authorities because I did not want to end up in this situation."

In January, the girl was being held at a motel in New Castle by a pimp, court documents state. She texted Beazer to help her escape. He advised her to ask for two days off. He later texted her pimp, arranged half an hour with her and had sex, according to a presentence filing by the prosecution.

He left $60 that he said was for the girl's welfare, he told detectives. The sex, he claimed, was incidental, prosecutors said in court filings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth L. Van Pelt argued for a heavier sentence given the vulnerability of the victim. She said the girl came from an abusive, non-supporting home, suffered from a mental illness and was being victimized through prostitution.

She contrasted that to Beazer's station in the Air Force: surrounded by supporting "brothers and sisters" and trained in warfare, sexual conduct and morals by the military.

The teen girl, who was "essentially homeless," stayed at the Dover Air Force Base barracks on and off for a period of months, prosecutors said.(Photo: Senior Airman Zachary Cacicia/U.S. Air Force photo)

"The disparity there is what is so cutting in this case," Van Pelt said. "He should have known better. He had to have known better."

Beazer faced a maximum of 15 years in prison, though sentencing guidelines used by the judicial system prescribed up to 30 months given the offense and Beazer's history.

"No criminal record. Not even a traffic ticket," Sleet, the judge, said. "You were outstanding in that regard – in a good way – which makes this situation even more tragic."

Beazer's attorney argued his client deserved leniency for his willingness to serve his country. His age and naivete when he committed the crime should also be considered, his attorney argued.

Ultimately, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison along with five years of supervised release. He must also help pay for counseling for the victim.

"This sentence accounts for the severity of your behavior and the good things you can still do in life," Sleet said.

Beazer's likely discharge from the Air Force was pending the conclusion of his trial. Washington pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a child and will be sentenced next month.